Bag seal with embossed tape shackle

ABSTRACT

Tape used as a shackle of a bag seal is embossed with plural indentations on opposite faces thereof. When a lead sealing element, through which the tape is threaded, is deformed with a sealing tool in sealing a related bag, portions of the sealing element are pressed into said indentations and remain therein to prevent slippage of the tape within the lead sealing element.

United States Patent Inventor Sigurd M. Moberg East Orange, NJ.

App]. No. 13,095

Filed Feb. 20, 1970 Patented Jan. 11, 1972 Assignee E. J. Brooks Company Newark, NJ.

BAG SEAL WITH EMBOSSED TAPE SHACKLE 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 292/308, 292/318 Int. Cl 1. B65d33/34, B65d 55/06 Field of Search 292/308, 310, 312, 314, 318, 325

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Friedrick Moberg Curtis Brooks.... Canter Brooks Primary Examiner- Robert L. Wolfe Attorney- Robert Henderson ABSTRACT: Tape used as a shackle of a bag seal is embossed with plural indentations on opposite faces thereof. When a lead sealing element, through which the tape is threaded, is deformed with a sealing tool in sealing a related bug. portions of the sealing element are pressed into said indentations and remain therein to prevent slippage of the tape within the lead sealing element.

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SIGURD M. MOBERG ATTORNEY BAG SEAL WITH EMBOSSED TAPE SHACKLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has hitherto been the practice, where lead sealing elements have been employed in bag seals, to provide a shackle of cord of circular shape in cross section, threaded through the sealing element. Deformation of the sealing element to seal a related bag, causes the cord to be gripped within the sealing element.

However, as the cord had no indentations therein of any material depth, the grip of the lead upon the cord has not always been sufficient to prevent some sliding of the cord in the deformed sealing element in the presence of an effort by an interloper to forcefully pry the shackle cord loose. In that situation, the cord could be pried loose enough to enable the shackle to be slipped off the bag neck with the result that theft from the bag could take place whereafter the shackle could be reapplied to the bag neck and tightened, making it appear falsely that the contents of the bag had not been disturbed.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a bag seal of the indicated general character in which, however, such slippage of the shackle in the lead sealing element is prevented, whereby to improve, substantially, the security factor of the seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bag seal according to this invention, in the course of being applied to the neck ofa fragmentarily shown bag.

FIG. 2 is a generally similar view, but showing the seal as tightened upon the bag and the seals sealing element deformed upon the seals shackle.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a piece of tape used as a shackle of the subject seal; the far face of the tape being similar to the face which is visible.

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of one end of the seals sealing element as seen from the left side of FIG. 1 with an embossed shackle tape appearing in section in holes of said sealing element.

FIG. 5 is an approximately central, longitudinal section of the seals sealing element and a related portion of the seals shackle showing lead of the sealing element extending into indentations of the shackle tape; the section being approximately n the plane ofline -4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The illustrated bag seal comprises a shackle of a single piece of embossed tape, threaded circuitously through holes 12a, 12b in a sealing element 14 of relatively soft, deformable lead. The approximate center of the length of tape appears at 100 of FIG. 1. Identical threading of opposite ends of the tape directs each end, first, rightwardly (as viewed in said figure) toward the bag through outboard holes 12a in the sealing element, thence each end of the tape is looped, as at 10b, about the bag neck and threaded back (leftwardly) through inboard holes 12b in the sealing element. See, also, FIG. 4.

The ends 100 of the tape are long enough to be gripped by a known tool, not shown, which first pulls the tapes ends to tighten the shackle about the bag's neck and then deforms the sealing element 14 from its FIG. 1 condition to its FIGS. 2 and 3 condition to grip the tape and hold it nonslidably therewithin.

The seal is shown as including an optional, arcuate, sheet metal guard element 16 disposed tightly between the bag neck and the lead sealing element 14 with the shackle tape extending therethrough. This guard element opposes slippage of the bag neck through the looped shackle and possesses other attributes all of which may be understood from W. M. Brooks U.S. Pat. No. 2,163,660, and S. M. Moberg U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,909, showing such guard elements.

The tape of which the shackle 10 is formed is preferably, but not necessarily, of strong fibrous material, impregnated and coated with plastic material and calendared to interbond the fibrous and plastic materials. Alternatively, the tape may be of interbonded plastic fibers or, indeed, of any material which will receive pennanent indentations and function as hereinafter described.

Either as a part of the calendaring or as a separate procedure, the tape is processed to emboss it with plural, permanent indentations 18 (FIG. 3) on opposite faces thereof, these indentations being quite closely spaced and in series extending longitudinally of the tape either along the entire length of the shackle or along that portion of the shackle to be gripped within the sealing element 14 as herein described.

As a practical matter, the tape may be embossed with uninterrupted series of said indentations extending along the entire length of the tape, and then there would be no problem, otherwise present, of precisely positioning particular, isolated indentation areas of the tape with respect to the lead sealing element 14.

By reference to FIG. 5, it may be seen that when the lead element 14 is deformed, as in FIGS. 2 and 5, to seal the shackle upon the bag, the force of a squeezing, deforming tool and the relative softness of the lead of said element are such that some of said element's lead material is pressed into adjacent indentations 18 on both faces of the shackle 10.

The lead material, however, is of sufficient hardness that, once it has been pressed into said indentations, it becomes firmly gripped against withdrawal therefrom to defeat any effort to pry the shackle loose enough to slide within the lead sealing element. It follows that the shackle cannot be loosened from the bags neck, thus greatly enhancing the security afforded by this invention.

FIG. 4 shows that the holes 12a, 12b in the lead sealing element 14 are preferably of rectangular shape in cross section so that the described tape 10 conforms somewhat loosely to the walls of said holes, yet it may slide easily within said holes before deformation of the element 14. With both the holes 12a, 12b and the tape 10 of more or less conforming rectangular shape, the deforming of the element 14, in sealing the bag, is very effective in squeezing portions of the lead element into the indentations 18. It is not essential, however, for the holes 12a, 12b to be of rectangular cross-sectional shape, for, even if said holes are circular in cross section, the sealing deformation of the element 14 suffices to cause lead of said element to enter the indentations 18 of the shackle tape.

This invention also derives an advantage from the fact that both the plastic material of the tape and the lead material of the sealing element 14 are quite slippery, thereby enabling the shackle to be threaded easily through the lead sealing element. If plain plastic tape without indentations 18 were used, the indicated slipperyness would work against adequate gripping of the shackle within the lead sealing element. However, when the shackle tape has said indentations according to this invention, said tape, even though slippery, cannot slide after being locked in the sealing element 14 upon deformation thereof.

lclaim:

1. In a shackle seal, the combination of a deformable sealing element formed with holes extending therethrough. and a shackle of elongated tape extending through said holes; said tape, cross-sectionally, being in the shape of an oblong and having opposite larger faces which are approximately flat in the longitudinally unbent condition of the tape. said tape, also, having a series of indentations in one of said larger faces and spaced from the longitudinal margins thereof. leaving coplanar, flat surface areas of said one larger face at all points about said indentations, and said sealing element being of material which is soft enough to enter said indentations upon forceful deformation of said element but hard enough to prevent its withdrawal from said indentations.

2. The combination according to claim I, said tape having series of said indentations in both said larger faces thereof.

3. The combination according to claim 1, said indentations being within said sealing element during said deformation of the latter.

4 The combination according to claim 1, said shackle being of relatively hard, pliant, plastic material and said sealing element being a block of relatively soft lead; interengageable surfaces of said sealing element, within its said holes, and of said tape, being relatively slippery to facilitate threading of said 5 tape through said holes.

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1. In a shackle seal, the combination of a deformable sealing element formed with holes extending therethrough, and a shackle of elongated tape extending through said holes; said tape, crosssectionally, being in the shape of an oblong and having opposite larger faces which are approximately flat in the longitudinally unbent condition of the tape, said tape, also, having a series of indentations in one of said larger faces and spaced from the longitudinal margins thereof, leaving coplanar, flat surface areas of said one larger face at all points about said indentations, and said sealing element being of material which is soft enough to enter said indentations upon forceful deformation of said element but hard enough to prevent its withdrawal from said indentations.
 2. The combination according to claim 1, said tape having series of said indentations in both said larger faces thereof.
 3. The combination according to claim 1, said indentations being within said sealing element during said deformation of the latter.
 4. The combination according to claim 1, said shackle being of relatively hard, pliant, plastic material and said sealing element being a block of relatively soft lead; interengageable surfaces of said sealing element, within its said holes, and of said tape, being relatively slippery to facilitate threading of said tape through said holes. 